Five things you won’t see on the iPhone 5

While the rumour mill is naively fixated on the features that will make it into the imminent iPhone 5, this tech journalist (ok, blogger) has decided to think outside the proverbial box and take a look at the features that won’t. Pulitzer Prize, here I come.

If Apple has taught us anything over the years, it’s that we shouldn’t expect the unexpected. There’s always the chance of a minor curveball, some rumour mill oversight, but the chaps down below? Fogged aboud id.

You know it, I know it, we all know it because we’re big fat know-it-alls: the iPhone 5 will inevitably materialise largely as expected, leading folks like us to bawk “Is that it?” while consumers are whipped into a frenzy.

Heck, I’ll probably grab an iPhone 5 too, even if it doesn’t have any of these fantastic (ahem) features.

Why not? Despite the increasing trend for huge displays, particularly among Android smartphones, Apple has been reluctant to bulk up the iPhone, with every iPhone (and iPod touch) to date weighing in at 3.5in.

The iPhone 5 display is tipped to weigh in at 4in, or thereabouts. That modest increase sounds quite realistic to us. Conversely, a 5.3in iPhone 5 and a 7in iPad mini would just be confusing. Er, not that that’s stopped Samsung, but the South Korean manufacturer has a whole range of products to play with.

A recent survey suggested that only 40% of iPhone users hope to see a larger display on the iPhone 5.

Why not? Well, because 3D is rubbish. It’s probably fair to say that the HTC Evo 3D wasn’t entirely despised, but autostereoscopic technology didn’t exactly set the world on fire. It kinda makes sense in gaming, but even Nintendo struggled shifting the 3DS.

One of the voices in my head continually taunts me by whispering “Apple's 3D Maps in 3D. Apple's 3D Maps in 3D.” But he’s crazy.

Bendiness

As found on the: nothing yet

Why not? Even if the technology were ready, we can’t imagine Apple taking a gamble on something nascent. Heck, just look at all the toing and froing with Near Field Communication (NFC).

Why not? There’s little evidence to suggest that consumers are interested in a camera that also happens to be a smartphone, and UK networks have snubbed the Nokia 808 PureView.

True, the Nokia 808 PureView stole the show at Mobile World Congress, but – to be frank – that’s because it was one of the few genuine surprises. And circus freaks are nice to look at ‘n’ all, but no one wants to take them home.

The other thing with gimmicky features is that Apple only has one iPhone (plus the old guys it keeps on), so it’s unlikely to force such features on (most of) its entire userbase.

MicroSD

As found on the: various artists

Why not? You can pick up a 32GB microSD card for – what? - £15, give or take a few quid. Meanwhile, with the iPhone 4S, Apple charges £100 to go from 16GB to 32GB, or 32GB to 64GB. Nuff said?

The iPhone 5 is expected to launch in October. In the meantime, check out iPhone 5 rumours.